Cam chain noise still!!

Alright folks I finished adjusting the auto cam chain tensioner and I am still having quite a bit of noise from the bottom end. My next step is to switch to a manual tensioner but I'm wondering if anyone has any tips or ideas I can try to reduce this noise down a little before I go that route?

Have the carburetors been carefully adjusted and synchronized recently? Slightly out of whack carbs can cause a surprising amount of rattling / cam chain noise, especially at idle.

Yep, it can sound liker it's coming apart in there. When was the last time the valves were adjusted? Should always check the chain followers for slop or broken pins.
Steve

Carbs have just been cleaned and synched, valves were done about a month ago

What bike is this? If it is the cam chain, I'd be concerned about it. Had one break. Broke my heart not to mention wallet.
Steve

I put off buying a manual cam chain adjuster as long as I could. I swear by that thing now. Not only did it quiet the bike up but added some extra 'instant torque' to the throttle. I had no idea how bad it had gotten

Just be sure your chain rollers/followers are in good shape and don't over-tighten. A broken chain is NO FUN. :dry:
Steve

The 1977 Kz650 cam chain tensioner IS a manual tensioner; otherwise you would not have needed to adjust it. What is the idle speed of the engine set to? If it is set too low the bottom end will make a lot of noise, but it is not related to the cam chain; it is the primary chain which is not adjustable. If the idle is set correctly and you still have primary chain noise you need to properly synchronize the carbs. Ed

I have to agree with Ed and Steve here.
My 550a had this scary "can of nails" sound at idle, especially when cold.
I did the valve shims up to spec in the manual... No real noticeable change to coffee can of nails sounds
I pulled the carbs and cleaned thoroughly,... No real noticeable change to coffee can of nails.
I pulled the carbs again, replaced the jets, needles, bench sync, New mounts too... No real noticeable difference.
Finally, got the carb synchronization gauges and (surprised look on face). It was easy to synch'em and ultimately made that coffee can of nails go away almost entirely.
I say almost entirely because, I'm still putzin' with the bike and think I could do a better job of re-synchronizing them, especially now that I have done a few other tune-ups and adjustments.

If my idle falls below 1100rpm on the factory gauge, then that sound still comes back but it's way less of an issue and mostly when the bike is cold. Once warmed up it's far more tolerant/quiet.

Get some time on it and dial them in again. You cal tell the sound of an unhappy motor.
Steve

I have to agree Steve. Definitely a part of the process is familiarity with the bike in question.

Also I forgot to mention to the poster of this thread:

Steve, Ed and loud were all instrumental in my problem resolutions with this new-to-me 550a.
So heed their sage advise. Not gunna guess at their ages but I'm betting their combined wisdom is double, triple or more what any one guy's experience with these classic Kawis is